1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to internal combustion reciprocating engines and in particular to a reduced size internal combustion reciprocating engine of which a plurality can be interconnected to form a larger engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internal combustion reciprocating engines have been known for over a century. The internal combustion reciprocating engine has been manufactured in numerous configurations over the years. These engines are utilized in automobiles, air planes and water craft. An important consideration in each of these applications is the size and weight of the engine. There is a trade off between the structural integrity or durability of an engine and the size and weight of the engine. Engine manufacturers design overly massive engine parts to increase the durability and useful life of an engine. Utilization of massive engine parts, however, increases the weight and size of the engine and can actually increase engine wear by increasing the dynamic weight of the moving parts in the engine. Thus there is a need for a reduced weight and size engine that is durable.
Some engine manufacturers have apparently built engines by interconnecting a set of smaller engines or modular engines.
Modular engines are known in the prior art as evidenced by the Voorhies patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,491,630, entitled "An Engine Constructed of Sections Bolted Together Along the Vertical Plane to Form an Entire Head Block and Crankcase Thereof," issued on Dec. 30, 1949. Voorhies patented an internal combustion engine constructed from a series of engine modules. The Voorhies engine however suffers the same inadequacies as other conventional engine designs.
Some of the problems presented by typical engine designs are discussed below.